To deal with the impact of a sharply reduced budget for Fiscal Year 2008, all Fermilab employees were required to take "rolling" furloughs from the beginning of February to the end of May. Hourly employees took two days off without pay per month. Salaried employees took one calendar week off without pay in each two-month period. The rolling furloughs saved about the same amount as closing the laboratory for two weeks, but they allowed Fermilab to continue operating the accelerator complex.

On May 23, 2008, Fermilab Director Pier Oddone announced in an all-hands meeting the end of the rolling furloughs as of May 31, because of additional work that was awarded to the laboratory, made possible by a gift to the University of Chicago, together with some additional savings.